Rogue Goat Workshops

Writing Circles for Young People with Cate Berry

Everyone wants young people to write well—teachers, parents, future college admission boards—but before craft and technique can mean anything, young people need to know who they are and what lights them up. They need an honest teacher to hold space, give tender encouragement, keep confidentiality and turn up the FUN faucet with writing. During weekly writing circles, Teacher Cate uses on-the-spot prompts, art, music, outside walks and snacks (very important for writing) to help kids find and form a sacred writing space together. When kids focus on process over product, their writing soars.

Who is this class for?

Introverts and Extroverts

Big talkers and Silent watchers

Risk takers and Poetic Dreamers

Kids who love to write and kids who don’t

Anyone who want to belong to a group

Who is this class not for?

Students who like to make fun of others

Bullies and Sly Jabbers

Young people that exclude people of race, gender, LGBTQ+ individuals

People that already know everything

Cost: $280/4 classes or monthly

High School Group (Rosedale Area)

Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30

Middle School Group (South Austin)

Thursdays, 6:00-7:30

To register contact Teacher Cate by text or email:

Text: Cate Berry 512-773-3067

Email: [email protected] or visit classes at www.cateberry.com

Cate Berry is a creative cliff diver, a playful communicator, a hard-core listener, an addict for the color pink and a belly-laughing lover of life. She’s visited forty-nine out of fifty states, published five children’s books and holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. In earlier lifetimes, she was a professional actress in New York City and a songwriter with an album of original music. The ocean is her favorite body of water but Texas rivers come close. Her motto is ‘Fate Loves the Fearless’ and teenagers always surprise her, in the best possible ways.

Testimonials

Humor Classes:

It’s no joke when I say Cate Berry’s humorous picture book class changed my writing life. With lessons combining classic craft techniques, current industry trends, professional comedy writing tricks, and insightful manuscript critiques, Cate taught us the first critical steps in building picture books that will tickle the funny bones of child and adult readers alike. Any future class she teaches, count me in! —Angele McQuade, author

If you write humorous stories, but struggle to find that right word, I recommend checking out Cate Berry’s class. She’ll help you understand how humor works and to discover your funny voice—the one uniquely yours. Plus, Cate’s lessons can help spark a ton of new work. In the six weeks of her course—thanks to Cate’s recommended readings, presentations, and writing prompts—I found my humor writing groove and produced four (count ’em—FOUR!!) solid new drafts! —Carrie Karnes Fannin

Private Mentorships:

Cate draws from her vast MFA knowledge of craft, as well as the business of publishing. She uses a variety of learning tools and techniques which teach Mentees all aspects of the pb manuscript process. Working with Cate has allowed me to deliver submission-ready work to my agent, recognize how to fix my own work, unleash my creative juices and make my manuscrips sing! Cate is a delight and she truly loves working with and teaching mentees. —Kris Kuykendall, private mentee

In my three-month private mentorship, Cate helped improve my foundations by teaching me how to deeply analyze published picture books, develop a regular writing routine and show me places in my manuscripts where I could go deeper emotionally to make the stories stronger. Cate offered guidance about the querying trenches and publishing in general. I found Cate to be knowledgeable, compassionate, and fun. Her teaching background is a great asset to mentoring. However, what meant most to me about our time together was her support and encouragement. Having someone in my corner to cheer me on continues to inspire me on this difficult publishing journey. —Jennifer Raudenbush, Writing with the Stars Mentee

Individual Critiques:

I’ve gotten critiques from several other mentors and teachers, but Cate’s sense of humor, her knowledge of current kid lit titles, and her enthusiasm for helping her students make her a superstar. Her critiques are thorough and well thought out, helping move me closer to a polished manuscript and keeping me energized about my story and the revision process. I highly recommend working with her! —Susan Taylor Johnson